A Swedish court Thursday found a Turkish citizen guilty of "attempted terrorist financing" for the PKK terrorist organization, a first in the Scandinavian country seeking Ankara's approval to join NATO.
The Stockholm District Court sentenced Yahya Güngör to 4.5 years in prison for the crimes, after which he would be expelled from Sweden and banned from returning to the Scandinavian country.
It was the first time that a Swedish court sentenced someone for terrorist financing of the PKK, Judge Mans Wigen said.
"The attempted extortion took place within the framework of an extensive fundraising program conducted by the PKK in Europe, including through extortion," Wigen said.
According to the court, the investigation had found that the goal of the extortion attempt was for a plaintiff to "hand over money to the PKK".
He was arrested in January after making threats and firing a gun outside a restaurant in Stockholm.
“It goes without saying, but I still want to emphasize it. Sweden’s NATO application has had no impact on the district court’s decision,” Wigen told a press conference.
Wigen, who called the crime “serious,” said that "the PKK is, therefore, to be considered a terrorist organization according to Swedish law.”
Sweden tightened its anti-terrorism legislation recently, making it easier to prosecute financing activities for terrorist organizations.
Türkiye has been accusing the Swedish government of not doing enough to crack down on PKK members and other terrorists and blocked the Nordic country’s accession to NATO. The military alliance wants to admit Sweden before a NATO summit later this month in Vilnius, Lithuania.
